My New To Me CVA Mountain Rifle

[hylander]

Picked this up a couple weeks ago, dirt cheap.
32" 50 Cal. Slow twist
Cleaned it up, had lots of surface rust, installed new Nipple.
Bore is Excellent.
Will take it out Tuesday, hope it shoots.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49479862873_dde7c548be_c.jpg

[Beagle333]

Looks like a great shooter. Have fun!

[Eddie2002]

Looks like an early one with the hexagon ram rod sleeves and four screw patch box, nice looking Mountain Rifle you got there.

[mooman76]

Best gun CVA ever sold. Great shooters. Triggers can be a little temperamental. They were inlet too deep. Just shim it out a little.

[trebor44]

Had one years ago, it was a good shooter. I got a few accessories that are left over from the day, short starter and synthetic ram rod etc to use at the range. It will be enjoyable to shoot, so enjoy!

[725]

I use those CVA sidekicks at a boy's & girl's camp. I know one has more than 6,000 rounds through it. Over the years, they have been dropped, banged around, & ram rods broken. They just keep on running and other than a dry ball every 5 or 6 years, they just work. Have fun with yours.

[Dimner]

I use those CVA sidekicks at a boy's & girl's camp. I know one has more than 6,000 rounds through it. Over the years, they have been dropped, banged around, & ram rods broken. They just keep on running and other than a dry ball every 5 or 6 years, they just work. Have fun with yours.

a 32 cal dry ball is my worst muzzloading nightmare. I've done it more than once, but not more than twice. I'm still working of the penance for the string of cussing from the 2nd time. I actually had to melt the round ball out of the barrel the 2nd time. Still shoots great though.

[longbow]

I've got its "poor" brother... what was just called the CVA Hawken in .50 cal. I think that became the St. Louis Hawken. Sure looks the same. Got mine as a kit and put it together. Some parts weren't really that good but it went together, looks okay and shoots quite well. Mine has the slow round ball twist too. I found that Maxi's didn't work in mine at all... well, they went boom but accuracy was pretty much non-existent. It does well with patched round ball though.

I always liked the CVA mountain rifle better. Yours looks nice. It should do well with a patched ball.

CVA used to make a not bad traditional muzzleloader in my opinion. Now all they make are inlines. Not for me. I like the traditional looks even if they are generic guns.

I hope you enjoy yours!

Longbow

[Gtek]

MADE IN USA, SPAIN, or just S/N on left side of barrel? Early model four screw patch box, should be a shooter. I have had a rock lock with a Spain barrel sitting for years, maybe some day.

[koger]

I had one similar to yours it shot great with 3fffg black powder, 50 grains for target shooting, 85gr for hunting.

[hylander]

Say's
MADE IN USA

[LawrenceA]

Early ones, like this, had a Douglas barrel with a 1"66 twist.
It should shoot a treat with patched ball

[BPJONES]

I have one with the hexagon ram rod thimbles but no barrel marking. I like it.

[BFJ]

I have one purchased in 1976. Marked USA, always been a shooter, patched round ball .490 was best load. Was my ML deer rifle for many years. There has been a lot of discussion if these were Douglas barrels. A lot of posts on the Muzzleloading Fourm on this topic. Hylander you have a nice rifle, enjoy it.

[hylander]

Well,
First trip out and only got off one shot.
The Sear spring broke :(

[LawrenceA]

Damn!
There are parts out there.
Failing that one can be made

[Maven]

Well,
First rip out and only got off one shot.
The Sear spring broke :(

Deer Creek Products may have what you need: http://www.deercreekproducts.net

[indian joe]

I have one purchased in 1976. Marked USA, always been a shooter, patched round ball .490 was best load. Was my ML deer rifle for many years. There has been a lot of discussion if these were Douglas barrels. A lot of posts on the Muzzleloading Fourm on this topic. Hylander you have a nice rifle, enjoy it.

i have (and have had) several CVA rifles from the 1987 run - all good shooters - spanish branded barrels - if the douglas tube is more accurate it would take a superb rifleman to pick the difference.

[hylander]

Deer Creek Products may have what you need: http://www.deercreekproducts.net

Yep, Already ordered two :grin:

[rfd]

what kind of breech plug in that CVA MR - patent or flat faced?

[KCSO]

THe breech is a weird combination with a drum installed after the plug is in and THEN drilled for the flash hole. The drum is not made to remove. I had one of these in 1977 and shot it a lot and won matches with it, the stock was a little to straight for me but it sure would shoot!

[sharps4590]

Congrats on a good, representative rifle!! Are those ramrod thimbles really 6 sided, hexagonal?

Decades ago I shot the same rifle that I built from a kit and, as others have said, it was a shooter. Won a few matches and took a few deer. My aon has it now, some 35 years later and it still shoots!

[rfd]

THe breech is a weird combination with a drum installed after the plug is in and THEN drilled for the flash hole. The drum is not made to remove. I had one of these in 1977 and shot it a lot and won matches with it, the stock was a little to straight for me but it sure would shoot!

a patent breech with flue.

[megasupermagnum]

Your post inspired me to finally get around to fixing my uncles CVA mountain rifle. It has been sitting in the corner for about a decade since they broke off the hook trying to remove the breech plug.

I don't remember who gave me the idea to weld it back on, but it turned out great so far. I haven't shot it yet, so fingers crossed, but it looks strong.

The original hook is long gone, so I had to mill my own from bar stock. Here it is after machining, made to fit the tang.
256184

Here is just after welding. I beveled the bottom, and tried to get as much weld into it as I could. I did a good job, and didn't get the barrel at all. It's only welded to the breech plug. I also beveled the tang so that I didn't have to file the weld perfectly flat. Hopefully this makes it stronger.
256185

Here is filed to shape
256186

Here is fitted to the tang
256187

And finally, we have a complete, functional rifle again. I'll shoot it, clean it up, and give it back to my Uncle this year. It's definately a CVA, nothing fits that great. But the barrel is a made in USA douglas. Even being left loaded for 20 years, there is not a speck of rust in it that I can see. I bet it shoots great.
256188

[indian joe]

what kind of breech plug in that CVA MR - patent or flat faced?

All the ones I have (and had), the breech plug screws in flush with the end of the barrel, nipple drum screws clear through the plug and into a little shallow recess in the far side barrel wall, nipple drum thread = 10mm metric, (from memory), unscrew the nipple drum and fit a coned touch hole liner to convert to flinter.
Kentucky model has a short tang and pinned barrel 7/8" inch x 32 inch - small lockplate
Pennnslyvania model tang and pinned barrel 7/8th inch x 42 inch - small lockplate
Mountain Rifle has two wedge pins, 15/16th inch barrel x 32 inch - I think had the small lockplate ?
Other sidelocks (Hawken, Missouri,etc ) single wedge pin 15/16th inch barrel x 28inch - some of these single wedge models had the large lockplate - some the small
There was a Squirrel rifle too in 32 cal

I would guess the earlier Douglas Barrels would have American threads - likely the nipple drum would be 7/16th UNC???

Number one problem with the sidelock CVA's ? there were two different locks (innards) lets call em long sear and short sear - the toe of the sear on some was long and flimsy (and quite soft steel) and would gradually bend so it fouled the half cock notch - break if you kept at it - its an easy enough fix with a brazing torch and files - I posted my fix in a sticky at the top of the ML threads -----other than that I have not seen any more breakages (springs) with CVA locks than I have seen with L & R - their flinter lock is similar to other cheap small flintlocks - needs tuning and a frizzen harden - works some without, works fine after - but its a little lock - never gonna light up the countryside like a big old Siler or such.

[indian joe]

what kind of breech plug in that CVA MR - patent or flat faced?

All the ones I have (and had), the breech plug screws in flush with the end of the barrel, nipple drum screws clear through the plug and into a little shallow recess in the far side barrel wall, nipple drum thread = 10mm metric, (from memory), unscrew the nipple drum and fit a coned touch hole liner to convert to flinter.
Kentucky model has a short tang and pinned barrel 7/8" inch x 32 inch - small lockplate
Pennnslyvania model tang and pinned barrel 7/8th inch x 42 inch - small lockplate
Mountain Rifle has two wedge pins, 15/16th inch barrel x 32 inch - I think had the small lockplate ?
Other sidelocks (Hawken, Missouri,etc ) single wedge pin 15/16th inch barrel x 28inch - some of these single wedge models had the large lockplate - some the small
There was a Squirrel rifle too in 32 cal

I would guess the earlier Douglas Barrels would have American threads - likely the nipple drum would be 7/16th UNC???

Number one problem with the sidelock CVA's ? there were two different locks (innards) lets call em long sear and short sear - the toe of the sear on some was long and flimsy (and quite soft steel) and would gradually bend so it fouled the half cock notch - break if you kept at it - its an easy enough fix with a brazing torch and files - I posted my fix in a sticky at the top of the ML threads -----other than that I have not seen any more breakages (springs) with CVA locks than I have seen with L & R - their flinter lock is similar to other cheap small flintlocks - needs tuning and a frizzen harden - works some without, works fine after - but its a little lock - never gonna light up the countryside like a big old Siler or such.